Representatives of the European Union have met stakeholders in the creative arts in Ghana to discuss the EU Cultural Strategy and Action Plan and some of the challenges or difficulties they are facing in their sector. The EU met Ghana’s creative arts stakeholders from both government and private sectors on Thursday, 9th May 2022 at the EU office in Accra,
The discussions were on the challenges and opportunities in their creative sector. On its part, the EU aims to among others facilitate access to grants and loans and provide capacity-building programs.
The EU reps spoke about their three priority areas which are Job creation in local creative industries, positioning Ghana as a regional hub for culture and heritage, and enhancing the EU’s image and visibility in Ghana.
They intend to do this by enhancing professionalism in the creative industries, creating decent jobs, and facilitating exchange programs.
On their part, the practitioners called for capacity-building programs such as boot camps and master classes for industry players on how to monetize their content, exchange programs, and collaborations, and support meaningful Corporate Social Responsibility initiatives for the creatives.
Others are the need to provide creative hubs for recordings and incubation of ideas and works. They also called for support to improve the quality of their productions, and promote their work and their distribution in international markets.
The creatives also suggested that the EU should invite global music companies and media houses to do talent scouting and presentations in Ghana.
Other suggestions on what the EU could do include providing support for the mapping of the cultural and creative industries and data collection to determine the real value of the space.
The participants also suggested to the EU to provide investments in music departments in schools such as the provision of infrastructure and equipment to these schools to train students who are interested in the sector.
The event was attended by some players in the creative industries such as Gasmilla, Yayhra Agbofa, Frank Owusu, deputy CEO of the Creative Arts Agency, Divine Owusu Ansah, deputy director of Culture and Creative Arts at the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture and Ahuma Bosco Ocansey of the Ghana Culture Forum and MUSIGA.
Story by Obaapa Janee
